Monday, 21 October 2013

White Nexus 5 official shot surfaces
Google's Nexus 4 was announced and launched last year in just a single color version - black. The white edition surfaced many times but it didn't go official until May this year.
The Nexus 5 announcement will supposedly happen on October 28 side by side with the Android 4.4 KitKat premiere. We know all there is to know about the smartphone, but until know it has always leaked in black color.
Yesterday we saw a purported white Nexus 5 retail box. It had the smartphone painted with a white back, but with a black front panel.
Today's render image shows a Nexus 5 variant entirely painted in white, not just its back. We are not sure if this is the real deal or not, but it surely looks gorgeous in these snow-white clothes


Indications are growing stronger that Google will be launching a white Nexus 5 as well. October 28 is just around the corner, so we'll know for sure soon enough.

Sunday, 20 October 2013

First true octa-core smartphone unveiled


MediaTek was the first to announce a chipset with a true octa-core processor back in June and now the first phone utilizing it has gone official. The UMI X2S broke cover at the Autumn Edition of Hong Kong Electronics Fair.
All of UMI’s phones are intended for the Chinese market and that’s why you’ve probably never heard of the brand. The UMI latest X2S smartphone is powered by MT6592 chipset with an octa-core Cortex-A7 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM. There is no word on the GPU, but when the MT6592 got benchmarked it was rocking a Mali-450, so that's probably it.
The rest of the UMI X2S specs include a 5” 1080p display, 32GB internal storage, a 13MP camera with Sony lens, and NFC connectivity. Since MG6592 is LTE-capable, we guess the X2S should be LTE-enabled as well.
There is no info on the pricing and availability yet, but the gadget is supposed to be very affordable, despite its fancy CPU.
MediaTek was indeed the first one to design and release a true octa-core chip and will probably remain the only one for a while as early hopes of Samsung enabling 8-core processing on its Exynos 5 Octa via a firmware update were squashed. And the revised Exynos 5 is unlikely to make it in actual hardware before the Galaxy S5 comes around next year.

Friday, 18 October 2013

LG Nexus 5


Unofficial preliminary specifications.
GENERAL2G NetworkGSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G NetworkHSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
 HSDPA 900 / 2100
4G NetworkLTE
SIMNano-SIM
AnnouncedExp. announcement 2013, October
StatusRumored. Exp. release 2013, October
BODYDimensions131.9 x 68.2 x - mm
Weight-
DISPLAYTypeTrue HD IPS Plus capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches (~441 ppi pixel density)
MultitouchYes
SOUNDAlert typesVibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
LoudspeakerYes
3.5mm jackYes
MEMORYCard slotNo
Internal16/32 GB storage, 3 GB RAM
DATAGPRSClass 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
EDGEClass 12
SpeedDC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
BluetoothYes, v4.0 with A2DP
NFCYes
USBYes, microUSB (SlimPort) v2.0
CAMERAPrimary8 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
FeaturesGeo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, photo sphere
VideoYes, 1080p@30fps
SecondaryYes, 1.2 MP
FEATURESOSAndroid OS, v4.4 (KitKat)
ChipsetQualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800
CPUQuad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400
GPUAdreno 330
SensorsAccelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
MessagingSMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
BrowserHTML5
RadioNo
GPSYes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
JavaYes, via Java MIDP emulator
ColorsBlack, White
 - Wireless charging
- SNS integration
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- MP4/H.264/H.263 player
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3 player
- Organizer
- Image/video editor
- Document editor
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa
- Voice memo/dial/commands
- Predictive text input
BATTERY Non-removable Li-Po 2300 mAh battery
Stand-by
Talk time
MISCPrice group

Thursday, 17 October 2013

Android 4.4 KitKat and Nexus 5 to go official on October 28

The official name for Android 4.4 - KitKat - was made official a while ago, but back then we got no release date or feature details. Last year Google announced the Android 4.2 and Nexus 4 on October 29, so many people are expecting an official Google event around the same date this year.
KitKat has recently posted a yet another teaser for the next release of the Google platform that seems to be hinting at October 28 as release date.

The first tweet came yesterday, saying "Everybody dance now!", which refers to a C+C Music Factorysong, a group previously known as 28th Street Crew (until 1989). This was indeed a vague clue, but today's hint is a bit clearer - "This is it".
As you've probably guessed by now, "This is it" refers to the popular Michael Jackson movie that premiered on October 28, 2009.
It appears then that Android 4.4 KitKat is coming on October 28, and it will probably be joined on stage by the Nexus 5. We already know pretty much everything there is to know about the next Google phone, but here is hoping Google will still find a way to surprise us.

Saturday, 12 October 2013

iPhone 6 release date, news and rumours

Is an even bigger iphone on the way?

The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C have been announced. So what does that mean for the iPhone 6?
Well, we'll tell you. Or, at least, we'll tell you what we can glean from rumor and speculation - some reliable, some not so much.
Given the iPhone's history - from the 3G onwards, there's always been a half-step S model before the next numbered iPhone - so it was no surprise the 5S was first and so we're looking at 2014 for a new iPhone 6.
One thing is for sure, with potential refreshes of such super handsets as theSamsung Galaxy S4Sony Xperia Z and HTC One, the next iPhone will have to seriously up its game.

iPhone 6 release date

The iPhone 6 release date will be in 2014. It will follow the iPhone 5S which will be released at the end of this week..
Jefferies analyst Peter Misek says that there will be a June 2014 releasefor the iPhone 6. We reckon it will be later than that, around a year after the 5S. Citi's Glen Yeung also believes that we won't see an iPhone 6 until 2014, although that's no big leap.
Interestingly, in May 2013 Stuff reported it received a photo of the till system at a Vodafone UK store (which it has since removed along with the reference to Vodafone), with '4G iPhone 6' listed.
So could we see both an iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 in quick succession?Some reports suggest a new 5S in the late part of the year before a revamped iPhone 6 very early in 2014

iPhone 6 casing

It's been suggested that there could even be three size variants of the new iPhone - check out these mocked up images by artist Peter Zigich. He calls the handsets iPhone 6 Mini, iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 XL (these look rather like the iPhone 5C variant though). However, as ZDNet rightly points out, 
different size variants aren't exactly easy to just magic out of thin air.

The iPhone 6 will finally do NFC

About time too. Well, that's what iDownloadblog reckons, quoting Jefferies analyst Peter Misek. Many Android phones now boast NFC and Apple appears to have been happy to be left behind here

The iPhone 6 will run iOS 8

With iOS 7 heading out of the traps now, who's betting against the next iPhone coming with iOS 8?
We'd expect a September or October release date for iOS 8 in line with previous releases

iPhone 6 storage

We've already seen a 128GB iPad, so why not a 128GB iPhone 6? Yes, it'll cost a fortune, but high-spending early adopters love this stuff.

iPhone 6 home button

According to Business Insider, of the many iPhone 6 prototypes Apple has made, one has a giant Retina+ IGZO display and a "new form factor with no home button. Gesture control is also possibly included". It will surely include Apple's new Touch ID finger print tech though?

iPhone 6 screen

The Retina+ Sharp IGZO display, would have a 1080p Full HD resolution. It's also been widely reported that Apple could introduce two handset sizes as it seeks to compete with the plethora of Android devices now on the market.
Take this one with a pinch of salt, because China Times isn't always right: it reckons the codename iPhone Math, which may be a mistranslation of iPhone+, will have a 4.8-inch display. The same report suggests that Apple will release multiple handsets throughout the year over and above the iPhone 5S and 6, which seems a bit far-fetched to us.
Patents show that Apple has been thinking about magical morphing technology that can hide sensors and even cameras. Will it make it into the iPhone 6? Probably not.
Jefferies analyst Peter Misek also says he believes the new iPhone will have a bigger screen. Different sizes also seem rather likely to us - theword on the street after WWDC 2013 was that there would be 4.7 and 5.7-inch versions.
More rumors in September 2013 point to a six-inch display, but this seems a little large to us.

iPhone 6 processor

Not a huge surprise, this one: the next processor one will be a quad-core A8 or an evolved A7. The big sell here is more power with better efficiency, which should help battery life.
Update: Anyone hoping for some juicy Samsung technology hidden under the iPhone 6 body will be disappointed though, as reports suggest Apple is looking to push its Korean rival further out of the iPhone picture with its eighth-gen handset.
Apple is apparently cutting the amount of A8 processors it is having made by Samsung, although it hasn't severed ties completely just yet.

iPhone 6 camera

Apple's bought camera sensors from Sony before, and this year we're going to see a new, 13-megapixel sensor that takes up less room without compromising image quality.
An Apple patent, uncovered by Apple Insider in May 2013, shows a system where an iPhone can remotely control other illuminating devices - extra flashes. It would work in a similar manner to that seen in professional photography studios. Interesting stuff


iPhone 6 eye tracking

One thing seems certain - Apple can't ignore the massive movement towards eye-tracking tech from other vendors, especially Samsung. It seems a shoe-in that Apple will deliver some kind of motion tech within the next iPhone, probably from uMoove.

iPhone 6 wireless charging

Wireless charging still isn't mainstream. Could Apple help give it a push? CP Tech reports that Apple has filed a patent for efficient wireless charging, but then again Apple has filed patents for pretty much anything imaginable.
The tasty bit of this particular patent is that Apple's tech wouldn't just charge one device, but multiple ones. Here are more details on the iPhone 6 wireless charging patent.
Meanwhile, a further Apple patent seems to imply that future iPhones will be able to adjust volume as you move them away from your ear.
And could the iPhone 6 really have 3D? It's unlikely, but the rumours keep on coming.